You want me to say what?

We’re talking about elevator pitches. Sometimes you give your pitch even when nobody asked you what you do.

There are two basic styles of elevator pitch: contrived, for use at chamber or networking functions where you’re going to introduce yourself to a group and a sincere one-on-one pitch that is customized for the person to whom you’re speaking.

The contrived pitch may be silly, bold, or even outrageous, depending on your business. While you never want to make a fool of yourself, the idea is to be remembered after all the introductions are completed. I call this style of elevator pitch a contrived pitch because you would never respond with this type of pitch when speaking with someone one-on-one. The contrived or chamber version of your pitch is just a little too phony for use in a personal setting.

In this group setting, it’s time to put on your thinking cap and get really clever. Your choice of words and phrases is especially important, so choose them carefully. Many of your associates will have only one version of their elevator pitch. This is your time to carefully craft a message that not only attracts attention but also has staying power. You’ll have introductions, maybe a meal and a program and then networking time. Your pitch needs to stay with your audience until the networking time.   

We’ve all been at a chamber of commerce function where we’re asked to introduce ourselves one after another in front of a large group. How many times do you lose interest in the introductions and quit listening? With 30 to 50 people making introductions, it’s tough to keep your focus. On the other hand, with that many people, it’s actually easier to shine if you just do your homework and give some thought to your pitch.

Here’s where you can really put Rule #2 into action: tell them how doing business with you will make their life better. You want to define your products and services in terms of your customer’s pain. Remember, this is not the place for full-featured description. Nobody cares about features but you. Your customer only cares about benefits. It the benefits of your product that hopefully make their life better. Your products and services do make someone’s life better, right?

Back to the chamber networking setting, how can you use the topic of the event to play off of in your pitch? The entrepreneur who actually takes the time to craft a pitch with the event theme or the speaker’s topic, will make a big splash. I’m guessing you’ll even make an impression with the speaker, who may call you out during his presentation, thereby reinforcing your pitch message.  Making yourself memorable requires doing some homework, but if you spend the time working on your introduction while everyone else just gives their normal introduction, you will stand out from the crowd.

Do you have a great elevator pitch that you’d like to share? If so, list it in the comments or send me an email.